John W. Freeman

Class of 1957

Awarded in 1972
25th Reunion Award

Man’s quest to solve the mysteries of the moon has been accelerated through your genius as a lunar scientist. Influenced at Beloit by professor R. Ronald Palmer, then chairman of the Physics Department and later your father-in-law, you developed an intense interest in the field of cosmic rays and for learning in general. After receiving master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Iowa, you joined the faculty of Rice University, where you are a full professor of space science. You have been a project leader and consultant for the National Aeronautical and Space Administration and, in 1969, you received an Apollo Achievement Award for assisting with preparations for man’s first moon landing. You have served as principal investigator for plasma experiments that were left on the lunar surface by Apollo 12, 14, and 15 astronauts and that still are returning valuable data to earth. Your research efforts in such areas as low-energy plasma phenomena and electrical fields in space have helped earn you recognition in American Men of Science and Outstanding Young Men of America

A participant in various visiting scientist programs, you recently held appointments at Stockholm’s Royal Institute of Technology and Switzerland’s University of Bern – and you currently are also assigned to Houston’s Lunar Science Institute. In testimony of your scientific achievements and your fidelity to the highest standards of scholarship, Beloit College proudly awards you this Distinguished Service Citation, the first presented to a member of your class.